Obama to face gay parade during July visit to Moscow

09.06.2009

MOSCOW, June 9 (RIA Novosti) - Russia's sexual
minorities plan to gather in Moscow in favor of same-sex unions
during U.S. President Barack Obama's visit on July 7, the
Komsomolskaya Pravda daily reported on Tuesday.

The parade organizer Nikolai Alekseev said participants of
the unauthorized event are expected to demand that Russian
authorities make same-sex civil unions in the country legal.

Alekseev wrote in his livejournal: "Since Obama's arrival
at the White House the issue of sexual minorities has reached
significant progress." In the U.S. there are currently six
states where gay marriage is allowed.

Meanwhile, he criticized the U.S. administration for
signing the UN Statement on "Human Rights, Sexual Orientation
and Gender Identity" in March saying that the document is aimed
at "discriminating against homosexual relations across the
whole world."

While announcing such moves as making June "Lesbian, Gay,
Bisexual and Transgender Pride Month" and supporting gay
rights, America's first black president said he believes that
"tradition, and my religious beliefs say that marriage is
something sanctified between a man and a woman."

Moscow authorities have branded gay parades "Satanic" and
said they will never be permitted in the capital, while the
Russian Orthodox Church and various far-right groups have vowed
to halt any attempt to hold a march in support of gay rights in
Russia.

At the most recent such event on May 16, police detained
about 40 people and warned that they would stop any attempts by
organizers to hold an unauthorized gay parade.